Monthly Archives: April 2015

(In exchange for my time and honest opinion, Central Arkansas Water compensated me for this post. My opinions are my own. I would never endorse something or someone I didn’t fully support!)

I’m like the James Dean of gardening. When it comes to my dirt clods, I’m a rebel without a cause.

Plan? Who cares! Water? Whatever! Spray it everywhere!

Unfortunately, this attitude has led to a lot of waste on my part–especially when it comes to water.

I thought a drip irrigation system for my rather modest garden set-up was unnecessary and complicated.

I was wrong. Really, really wrong.

Thankfully, Mark Brown, the water conservation agent for my county’s cooperative extension office, was able to set me straight. During Mark’s visit to my garden, I learned a bit about UAEX’s partnership with Central Arkansas Water and how I could make my garden more water-wise and efficient.

The easiest step I could take, Mr. Brown said, was to install a drip irrigation system.

Drip irrigation systems have a host of benefits. They:

directly deliver water at a low-flow volume at soil level, reducing water waste

I garden by a lot of different methods (and drip irrigation can be used with all of them), but for this project, I decided to use a few of my container tomatoes.

Head to your local home improvement store (you’ll find the supplies in the plumbing section). If you’re more of a DIY-er than I am (God bless you), you can get your piping and accessories individually. For the rest of us, there are handy dandy kits that include (almost) everything you need.

I purchased a DIG brand Patio Irrigation System–and it cost me all of $11.97. Super budget-friendly!

Mark recommended I also buy a splitter to affix to my faucet so I can still use my regular ol’ garden hose, as well as a pressure regulator to help.. you guessed it, regulate water pressure.

From there, it was just a matter of threading and cutting PVC piping, sticking fittings and drippers into the pipes, and placing my feeder tubes into my containers.

It didn’t take more than an hour from start to finish to outfit 4 containers, and that’s with me getting tangled up in PVC microtubing!

I’m excited to see how my new drip irrigation system benefits these tomatoes. You can bet I’ll be adding to my existing set-up in the near future. I don’t want my raised bed or my flowerbeds to get jealous!

Since I started gardening, I’ve gotten a lot of questions from friends and acquaintances, asking me for advice on starting their own gardens. It’s flattering, for sure, considering I haven’t even been a Real Life Gardener™ for two seasons.

What advice would I give to someone who wants to start their own garden?

1. Grow what you love.

Truly, I feel like this is the most important tip. It can be pretty overwhelming deciding what to plant. There are so many varieties–heirloom or hybrid, which cultivar is good for your climate.. I could go on.

In the end, though, all that matters is that you’re pleased with what’s in the ground.

You’ll encounter people with some pretty strong opinions. If you want to grow a simple jalapeño–do it. Don’t worry about the people who want you to grow some fancy cultivar. Only want to grow tomatoes? Go for it. Want to put sunflowers in your backyard though your mom thinks they’re tacky (mine doesn’t–and any mom who does.. I’d like to talk to that mom)? SO WHAT WHO CARES.

I like peppers. So.. I’m growing a lot of peppers.

New gardener, if you like it, try to grow it. Gardening, while a joy, is some pretty hard work, and hard work is made less hard when you love what you’re doing. There’s no guarantee your garden will turn out the way you want; you’re at the mercy of nature and a bunch of other factors. But the journey is a lot more rewarding when you’re working toward something you want to see rather than something you’re told you’re supposed to want.

There is nothing better than talking with my mama about the things her daddy grew. Her eyes light up. Those are the things I want to grow. It doesn’t matter if they’re out of fashion, outmoded, or silly.

2. Keep a journal.

from Sparrow Magazine

Garden journaling is super important, even if you’re not a record-obsessive human like me.

Garden journals have been around since we started stickin’ seeds in the ground, really, and with good reason–they’re the best way we have to keep track of what we did and when we did it.

What’s even cooler is that some garden journals become works of art, full of beautiful illustrations and depictions of blooms and beauty.

love this from artist Jennifer Branch

If you’re not an artist (I’m certainly not), that’s okay, too. Your journal, of course, is whatever you want it to be, but I recommend you keep it pretty practical. Use an old Moleskine, a spiral notebook, or binder and keep track of what you planted, when you planted, and how it’s going. You can structure it however you like–it can a list, it can be a diary.. it can be anything.

Think about how great it will be next season to open your journal and see a precise record of the past year’s garden. Patterns emerge! You’ll learn something! Neat.

If you’re not into paper, there are even garden journal/diary apps for your smartphone or tablet, or you can use a note-taking program like Evernote or OneNote.

I use my garden journal for lots of things. I record information about the varieties I’m growing (info I get from the seed packet, etc.), Important Events™ in the garden (like when things germinate or when I transplant seedlings), and reminders to fertilize/weed/check for pests. My garden journal is just for me, and it grows as my plants do!

3. Ask for advice, but trust your gut.

Everyone’s got an opinion. That’s the good news. The bad news is that some of these opinions are pretty much bumpkis, and when you ask for advice, you’ve got to learn to weed out (pun intended) the useful help from the distracting silliness.

I’m a member of a ton of gardening Facebook groups, and they’re super useful. For new gardeners, though, they can be overwhelming. How many times have I seen someone ask a question about a problem they’re having and then get frustrated with the diversity of responses as to the solution to that problem? Too many.

None of those people responding to the New Gardener on Facebook know that person’s garden. Those people only have the limited information the gardener is giving them, and those people are responding based upon their experiences and environments, all of which may be very different from the person’s own.

You’re a new gardener, but you are NOT an idiot. Trust what you know and what you see in your garden. Ask for help, but don’t assume that every answer you get is sound advice.

4. Let go.

Nature is pretty good at, you know, being nature. Case in point.

Last year, I tossed a couple of pumpkin seeds near the back of my backyard fence. I didn’t need them anymore and they were the last two in the seed packet.

“Hey! These are biodegradable!” I thought, and I threw them to the wind. Bye little dudes, sorry I couldn’t use you, thanks for coming, you’ve been great.

A few weeks later, my mom asked me to check near the back fence, because something was growing. It turns out that those two measly pumpkin seeds, those seeds I so carelessly and casually threw away, sprouted.. and I had two volunteer pumpkin vines.

I‘m telling you this story because I, like so many new gardeners, want to over-tend my garden. Brown leaf? Oh God, my plant is diseased! A little bit of wilt in the hot Arkansas afternoon sun? MY PLANT IS DYING, I NEED TO DROWN IT IN WATER.

Needless to say, I won the award for Helicopter Gardener of the Year. And I ended up doing more damage to my plants than just leaving them alone would have done.

Yes, new gardener, sometimes it’s best to let nature do its nature thing. Hands off. The planet’s been growing things for a lot longer than we mere humans have.

5. Watch for critters!

Y’all. Animals. They’re adorable. I love them so much.

.. Until they start eating my plants.

Y’all. A squirrel did this to my pepper plant. It is not even May yet.

Last year, I had a raised bed garden full of cute little bean seedlings, and in the course of 24 hours, the adorable rabbit that has lived in my backyard since before I can remember ate every single one of them.

That rabbit didn’t care that I personally had planted each little bitty seed in the ground. That bunny needed to eat.

But because it’s an adorable rabbit and I can’t bear to think about.. permanently removing it, this year I had to take some extra steps to ensure Mr. Cottontail finds lunch elsewhere. These steps make accessing my raised bed garden a LOT more difficult and a LOT less fun, but it’s the trade-off I’m making so that my beans this year might at least have a chance of survival.

STAY OUT, BUNNIES

New gardener, you undoubtedly will face both cute and not-so-cute furry things attempting shenanigans in your garden. You’ve got choices on how to control them, depending on your space and resources. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do.. but you’ll have to do something. Choose wisely!

I think that covers it. I’m by no means an expert, but I have learned a couple of things in my first year of playing in the dirt.

What suggestions would you have for a new gardener?

Have I ever told y’all how much I love the plant family Cucurbitaceae?

In case you didn’t know, this plant family gives us all sorts of wonderful garden goodies. Cucurbits include things like pumpkins, gourds, squashes, cucumbers, and zucchini. Do you like watermelon? Check it out. It’s a cucurbit.

Needless to say, these are all things I love to eat. (You’ll hear more about my affinity for all things pumpkin in the fall, probably.) They are also all things I had trouble harvesting last year.

… Except for one cucumber. Here’s a picture.

I’m still proud as punch of this cucumber.

Last year, I got a pretty late start with most of the things I attempted to grow–and I grew everything but my peppers from seed, which means I got a REALLY late start when you consider how long it takes things like pumpkins and gourds to mature.

I didn’t have much luck with pumpkins, gourds, squashes, or watermelons last summer.

I bought squash and pumpkin seeds… which grew beautifully. And then were invaded by SQUASH VINE BORERS. Every single one of my beautiful, thriving squash plants–each and every pumpkin vine… all destroyed. I probably spent an hour crying after I tossed the infested plants over the backyard fence.

I’m trying not to let the trauma of last season prevent me from planting squash and pumpkins again for this year, but I can’t help but feel tentative as I put my little seedlings in their pots. Fingers crossed.

What varieties am I growing this year? These are the ones already in the ground and growing (confession: I have some more seeds I should sow).

Pumpkins

Winter Squash

Waltham Butternut – We’ll see if I ACTUALLY get any squash, considering a chipmunk seems to have taken to munching on my two little seedlings. I’ll probably direct sow a couple more seeds. I JUST WANT TO ROAST SOME BUTTERNUT SQUASH, OKAY?

Summer Squash

Cucumbers

– Picklebush. Okay. I hate cukes, but LOVE pickles. I just really love pickles. I even love the world ‘pickle’, quite frankly. This is a compact variety that’s supposed to be pretty prolific, so I’m hoping to make lots of pickles. I’m not sharing, either.

Zucchini

– Sure Thing Hybrid: I got this variety because it says that it “produces in unfavorable conditions” (re: Arkansas weather). We’ll see.

Watermelon

– Sugar Baby. Because I’m a glutton for punishment and I demand to have cute little icebox watermelons.

Do you grow any of these veggies in your garden? How much do YOU love pickles (probably not as much as me)?

– developed a couple of recipes for quick lunches and dinners for my mama Tixqueen (check out my muffin tin breakfast casseroles above!)
– paid bills (ugh)
– shared some thoughts on the word “enough” on my friend Jamie’s blog
– got called in to work a wonderful class on outdoor entertaining with Chef Brian Kelley!
– saw some beautiful azaleas outside the music building before my voice lesson
– cleaned off the kitchen table (hooray!)
– costume fitting!
– made an Important Announcement™ on Facebook

// what i learned //

– an overwhelming number of people support me. I mean overwhelming. Whoa.
– based on the survey on my Facebook, most of my friends/colleagues consider cheesecake to be a pie, not a cake–or in a category all its own!

– This week, I brought in “Adieu”, the final piece in Gabriel Fauré’s Poème d’un jour to my lesson. If you’ve not heard it, there are lots of lovely recordings, but one of the most engaging is this recording of Diana Damrau with Xavier de Maistre accompanying on harp. Obviously I didn’t have a harpist. Still just as beautiful with piano!
– more silly Offenbach choruses!

// what i’m wishing for & looking forward to next week //

– I’ve got tickets to see John Waters at the Arkansas Literary Festival!
– SUPER NERDY, but they’re supposed to announce who won the lottery for Antiques Roadshow tickets this summer when they’re in Little Rock! FINGERS AND TOES CROSSED, Y’ALL
– showing off my pie at The Root Cafe’s Traditional Pie Baking Contest next Sunday!

Spill, y’all. How was your week? Is cheesecake CAKE… or PIE?

I love spicy food. Like, really love it. Mama Tixqueen came up with her famous taco casserole, chock full of jalapeño peppers, while she was pregnant with me (and because everything else tasted like cardboard). I ate a lot of peppers in utero, y’all.

My dad loved peppers and hot sauce, too, and as a kid, he tried to teach me what he called “hot sauce zen.” We would have contests to see who could eat the spiciest thing without showing signs of too much pain. He won. Whatever.

I love peppers and use them voraciously in my cooking. I’ll eat them raw. I’ll eat them pickled. I’ll eat them in sauces, stews, chopped, stuffed.. I haven’t met a pepper I didn’t like. Growing them in my garden, of course, was the next natural step.

Pepper growers are a different breed of gardener. Can I say that? I say this with the utmost love and respect, but, pepper gardeners, y’all are straight up crazy. Browse any online community of those dedicated to growing hot peppers and you’ll see a lot of stick-waving contests. Who’s got the hottest pepper? Whose pepper produces true to type? Who can get the most seeds to germinate?

I’m geeky, but I draw the line at GARDENING COMPETITION. Can’t we just enjoy it all? Why does it have to be about who has the biggest plants or the hottest peppers? Whatever.

I’m growing quite a few different pepper varieties this year. As you can see from the above photo, I grow my peppers in containers. I leave the raised bed for other things, and unfortunately, I haven’t gotten my Actual Yard to be a lot more than a big pile of rocky clay. It’s on my to-do list.

My number one goal, though, is to be a Real Southern Girl™, level up, and produce my own jalapeño jelly from one of my plants. Fingers crossed.

So what am I growing? Presenting my…

2015 Hot Pepper Grow List

1. Mucho Nacho

I wanted a jalapeño in the mix, but I didn’t really want to bother with your standard, run-of-the-mill jalapeño variety. Part of the fun of gardening, for me, is cultivating varieties I can’t necessarily buy at the supermarket.

Mucho Nacho takes that “run-of-the-mill” jalapeño and ups the ante a little, supposedly. Bigger, more substantial peppers that are great for pickling or stuffing. I love stuffed jalapeños.

2. Anaheim

These guys are pretty tame as hot peppers go, but I love their fresh, mild flavor. I grew Anaheims last year and Mom and I enjoyed chopping them up into burgers.

3. Dragon Cayenne

I’m excited about these because my cayenne variety last year was decimated by disease or a sinister something else. Cayenne pepper plants have so many little leaves. Looking forward to seeing how this one does!

4. Cowhorn

Another new variety for me this year. I was attracted to these because of how long the fruits get–6 to 8 inches! I love big peppers. Unfortunately, something is already chomping on them in the garden (I suspect it’s a squirrel)
5. New Mexico 6-4L

As you can tell, I’m not growing a ton of super hot varieties, because the culinary uses for those varieties take a lot more work. This pepper is another mild poblano variety.

6. Poblano-Ancho

Stuffed poblano peppers. Cheese. Beans. Rice. ‘Nough said.

7. Roberto’s

Honestly, not sure what kind of pepper this is.. or what to expect. I picked something I didn’t recognize at the Spring Planting Festival in April and went for it. I will report back on my findings.

8. Carolina Reaper

So, yeah, “I’m not growing a lot of super hots.” That’s true. I’m not. But.. if I am going to grow a super hot variety, why not try THE HOTTEST PEPPER IN THE WORLD? This guy’s only been around for a few years, so there’s a lot of controversy about whether or not the new cultivar is producing true-to-type. But, hey, Herb had them at the plant sale.. and I bought two plants.

Wish me godspeed.

9. New Mexico 6-4L

I would say that I’m growing this guy, but.. there is an Animal™ who likes to nibble on it, so we’ll see if the poor little dude survives.

10. Habanero

Pretty standard. I originally only had one plant of these guys, but… I couldn’t resist grabbing another at Home Depot.

11. Serrano

I had lots of luck with my serrano peppers last year. I love their flavor and am looking forward to having a nice crop this year, as my plant seems to be thriving already! Hooray.

Do you grow peppers in your garden?

When I write my memoirs, there won’t be a chapter addressing all the people who told me I would fail.

I can’t think of a single person that has actively discouraged me in my pursuit of singing. I count that a blessing.

The thing that sucks about having so many supportive people in my life, though, is that quite a bit of the time, I don’t know how to answer their questions.

So when are you going to hear back about X audition?

How did Y audition go?

How could you not get Z role/opportunity/audition? Why wouldn’t they want someone like you?

These are all very well-intentioned questions. They indicate interest. People care about what I do as a singer, as a developing artist. That’s comforting. It’s good to know that you have an army, however small, backing you.

But I truly struggle with answering these questions. How much information do I give them?

“Well, audition Y went pretty well.. except when I totally botched the first high note in my aria and spent the next three measures thinking about aforementioned botching…”

“When will I hear back? Probably never. Unless it’s a three-line letter thanking me for my time and wishing me all the best.”

– GOT THE BEST DOG IN THE HISTORY OF DOGS DOES ANYTHING ELSE MATTER REALLY
– went and got measured for a costume
– hung out with some swans
– doctor’s appointment/weigh-in
– planted some azaleas & carnations in my backyard
– surrounded my raised bed garden with chicken wire to protect it from Mr. Rabbit

Tell me about YOUR week! How was it?

To describe the last two years in Arkansas as “life-altering” would be an understatement. I have changed so much (for the better, I hope) in this relatively short bit of time. I have learned a lot about myself–and without getting too philosophical (that’s for another post), one of those things is I love gardening.

Until last year, my experience with gardening could be summarized in two events: 1) sunflowers grown with my mom (WHICH WERE STOLEN, BY THE WAY [still mad]) in Kentucky and 2) my family’s well-intentioned attempt to plant tomatoes during our first summer in Arkansas.

It didn’t go well. Midwesterners adjusting to the humid climate and rocky soil of the South had no chance. And thus ended any further Yehling attempt at a vegetable garden (or any garden at all, really).

My dearest mama Tixqueen has had houseplants as long as I can remember, though–spider plants, asparagus ferns, some pretty ancient Christmas cactuses from my Uncle George (they’re still going strong)… lots of stuff! I’ve always loved the greenery that brightens our home. Still–never really showed any sort of interest.

Long story short (I will tell it some time), everything changed last year, and I became obsessed with seed-starting, container gardening, raised bed gardening, square foot gardening.. heirloom vegetables, organic fertilizers, pest control… and while not everything was a success (RIP to my squash and pumpkins), for someone who until then hadn’t really ever felt beholden to cleaning the litter box let alone watering a plant every day, my garden was super successful. And even with the varying rates of success and the crushing defeats from a renegade rabbit and squash vine borers, my garden was the highlight of my summer.

IN CASE YOU DIDN’T ALREADY KNOW, it’s April! And spring! In fact, April is such a great time for gardening that it is, wouldn’t you know, National Gardening Month. If you’ve ever thought about gardening, #whynot start one today? Doesn’t even have to be fancy. Maybe a little basil plant in your window. Mm, basil. Pesto. Now you’re with me.

Anyway.

I didn’t have this blog last year, so most of my garden documentation was relegated to sending photos to friends and usurping the Eggshells Kitchen Co. Instagram account to post pictures of my squash plants (may they rest in peace).No more though!

I’m looking forward to using this space as a place to talk about exactly why I think I fell so hard for gardening (and why I think you will too), what I’m up to in my #dirtclods, and the results of my work, good or bad!

The weather here over the past few weeks has been kind of dreary, though not miserable. The temperatures are nice for working outside, but the clouds blocking the sun and the seemingly never-ending dampness make soil temperatures less than ideal for planting. It’s even gotten a little chilly at night, forcing me to cover some of my containers with plastic bags to protect my fragile babies.

So. What am I growing (or hoping to grow) this year? Tons of things! Vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers.. but I thought I’d start by listing the longest variety list first, and the thing that maybe started my gardening obsession–TOMATOES! There are an estimated 20,000 varieties of tomato. Do you think I could try them all?

Have you ever grown tomatoes? Are you planning on it this year?

– survived a particularly rough Monday & Tuesday with the help of some friends (thanks, y’all)
– got down & dirty at eggshells kitchen co. painting the store!
– finished Wolf Hall and began Bring Up the Bodies (just in time to watch it premiere in the US on PBS tonight)
– went to an amazing plant sale, bought two more varieties of tomato and two more pepper cultivars, salivated over all the plants I want to buy and grow (when I have more room and time–but mostly room!)
– bought a selfie stick
– lots of garden work!

// what i learned //

– you can be everything they want and still not get it.

// what i loved //

– this piece on cultural appropriation in the “foodie” community
– Facebook canning and gardening groups (stop laughing)
– that GEICO commercial with the chicken

// what i’m working on musically //

– I should probably tell everyone what I’m working on… but that requires an “ANNOUNCEMENT” and I don’t know how I feel about that.

// what i’m wishing for next week //

– warmer temperatures so I can stop fretting over the soil temps in my garden!
– more grace and patience with myself

How’d this week go for you, friends?

Sorry, y’all, but I just refuse to post on April 1st out of principle, so welcome to April 2nd, where I will now tell you about the goals I have for the rest of the month! I know you’re excited.

How’d I do for March?

Goals for March:

1. Read at least two books (I’m a book ahead of my overall goal for 2015, so I’d like to keep this up!) // I managed to read one book, which I really loved, and I started another. I’ll call that a win!
2. See one movie in a cinema // Nope. Still haven’t seen a movie in 2015, honestly…. whoops?
3. Give a confident, well-prepared, passionated, joyful audition in Philadelphia. // This I can say, without a doubt, I did. 🙂
4. No email after 7PM. // I would say I was very good about this until the end of the month, when things sort of.. went wonky. But it was relatively successful and considering what an email-obsessive demon I was prior to challenging myself, I’m pretty pleased.
5. Send at least 5 postcards/letters. // Oh man, did I do this. I love sending mail!
6. Be mindful of my spending. // This could have gone better than it did.
7. Be intentional with my eating. // Nope. I sort of forgot I was going to do this at all.
8. Unplug for an hour everyday. // I was doing so well on this. And then I wasn’t. Um.
9. Get one new aria to presentable level. // I didn’t learn anything NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW, but I’m feeling very confident about my newest repertoire. So!